Fear
by Naoko Asakura
Summary: Manta sits in class one day, contemplating his heart instead of his schoolwork... Manta/?


Fear  
  
By Naoko Asakura  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King... Oh well! :D  
  
Author's Note: This is a break I'm taking from ADITLOY... Sorry I'm such a flake, but I just can't focus on one thing! (I'm ADD). Mouuuuuu! I really do hope they make another Shaman King series... They did another one with Full Metal Panic! Bah... *Shoves hands in pockets*  
  
Anywho! This is Naoko Asakura bringing you something completely different!  
  
KEEP IN MIND, THIS TAKES PLACE WHEN EVERYONE IS 17 OR 18! Therefore, Manta is 18, and Anna and Yoh are 17! Because Manta's birthday comes before Yoh and Anna's! :D  
  
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It had been raining that day.  
  
Yoh was not feeling well, and so he went back to his and Anna's home. Anna wanted to go with him, but he protested with a weak laugh.  
  
"Don't worry... I can take care of myself." He said, coughing softly into his hand after that. His face was pale except for the burning crimson that stained his cheeks. Anna glared at him and said that he shouldn't have been outside last night.  
  
"Yoh-kun... Make sure you don't pass out on the way to your house." I said with a small smile. Yoh laughed and scratched the back of his head.  
  
"Pailong was kind enough to drive me home in the Tao Limo. If I pass out in the car, I'll be safe!" He exclaimed. Anna sighed heavily and folded her arms across the chest of her winter fuku.  
  
"You should hurry and go. You look dead on your feet." She said calmly, earning a sheepish grin from the sickly shaman.  
  
"I feel as if what you just said were true, Anna." Yoh said as he slipped his jacket on. I laughed at his remark. "You guys should both get back to class." He said, looking through the window at Takamine-Sensei, who was looking out at us every five seconds. My smile dissipated as I nodded.  
  
"You're right... Anna, lets go." I said, looking up at her. She frowned upon me before casting another look at Yoh.  
  
"Don't hurt yourself or anything, and be sure to get lots of sleep and drink as much tea as you can. I'm sure there's some vegetable soup still left over from the other night, so all you need to do it heat it up an-" She stopped when Yoh put a large hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry so much, Anna. I've been put through much worse than a slight fever." The head phoned boy said. I saw Anna blush lightly and look at the floor. "See you guys when you get home!" Yoh said, oblivious to Anna's flush of embarrassment.  
  
"Bye, Yoh-kun!"  
  
"Bye."  
  
And so we went our separate ways... Yoh heading towards the front door, where Pailong stood in a suit and sunglasses, and me and Anna heading towards the door to our classroom.  
  
...Our class room...  
  
...High School Students number thirty-five and twenty-one.  
  
...Juniors Manta Oyamada and Anna Kyouyama.  
  
The rest of the day I sat, just twirling my pencil in my hand. I already knew everything that Takamine-sensei had to teach. Hell, I could have graduated by now, with a steady job and a welcoming hand from any college in Japan!  
  
The fact is... I didn't want to.  
  
I had friends; TRUE friends who would listen to me without so much as a snide comment for studying too hard and hallucinating ghosts and other spiritual apparitions. Yoh, Anna, and everyone else have been everything to me ever since I met them both. I felt myself blush as the name slipped onto my mind for the umpteenth time.  
  
Anna Kyouyama. An ice queen whose destiny was controlled by no other... Not even by God himself. I fear her, and yet-  
  
I feel like I'm doing something horribly wrong whenever I think about her like that.  
  
To think that I, the number one fearer of the girl having a CRUSH on her?! I'd never hear the end of it. How could I ever compare to Yoh, let alone any other guy? I'm sure some of the girls would even be chosen over me...  
  
I've always been rather self-loathing. Whenever I witness a fight between Shamans, I feel so helpless and insignificant. Sure, I know a lot, but does that really matter now that I've met and experienced things and people that go against everything I was ever taught? I cradle my head on the palm of my cheek as I stare at her reflection in the window. I'm so shameless...  
  
She probably knows that I look at her... She IS an Itako after all. She's also in love and engaged to my best friend. My mouth feels bitter, and I do my best to ignore the taste of the irony of it all...  
  
My fear is my lo-  
  
"OYAMADA!"  
  
I jump, crying out loudly like always. The teacher is staring down his sharp nose at me and I feel anger welling up inside me. I'm sick of learning about the history of nabemono. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Anna glance at me questioningly before returning to her studies. I smile nervously to the teacher.  
  
"Ah... I'm sorry, Sensei. My mind was somewhere else..." I trailed off, blushing furiously as I heard soft giggles around the room. Takamine eyed me one last time before returning to the board, which at the moment was covered with a large photo of nabamono.  
  
"Now, let me continue..." he said before clearing his throat. "The nabe, or "pot" which spawned the one-pot repast..." He continued rattling on about the food until the bell rang loudly. He walked over to the podium and shut his briefcase with a snap. "All rise!" He said firmly, as a screeching of chairs and the soft tap of footsteps ensued.  
  
"Good day, Takamine-sensei!" The class chorused, though not as enthusiastic as they would have been if the day weren't as bleak. Then the classroom was filled with the dull murmurs of idle conversation as the students (with the exception of the ones that had cleaning duty) left for the coatroom.  
  
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I stood, staring at the back of my shoe locker with an unknown wonder in my mind. The cool rain-winds soothed my skin, which felt as though it were burning with a dull fire that pulsed through my veins. Maybe I too, had been sick...  
  
"Manta, are you ok?"  
  
I heard Anna's voice call out to me as she walked towards me. She looked rather pretty at that moment... Her unruly hair blew in the slight breeze, her amber eyes emitting a firm but yielding expression. She had shown kindness to me on so many instances, though it was probably just because I was Yoh's friend.  
  
It makes me wonder though...  
  
She's never showed the same kindness to any of Yoh's other friends. Maybe I still held a special place in her heart too... This made me smile broadly.  
  
"I'm ok! Lets go, Anna!" I exclaimed, looking up at her with joy filled eyes. She made a questioning face as I happily hoisted my satchel onto my shoulders.  
  
"What's got YOU all happy go lucky?" She asked me. Anna wouldn't notice, but there was curiosity in her steady voice. I shrugged and gave her a sheepish grin.  
  
"I feel ten feet tall today!" I said as I tied my sneakers. She narrowed her eyes at me and smirked.  
  
"You're still a head shorter than I am." She stated, making me frown. I turned to her and stuck my tongue out.  
  
"Nyaaaaaaa. At least I've grown!" I said indignantly. I was internally surprised that my butt hadn't gotten kicked all the way to Izumo by now. Anna still smirked, slipping her own school bag from her shoulders.  
  
"Do you really think you're a big man, Manta?" She asked. I blushed, but was still determined. Little did I know, I was about to fall for one of the oldest "Anna" tricks in the book.  
  
"Uh huh!"  
  
"Well then," She said, dumping her bag into my arms, "You can carry MY school stuff then, you BIG man!" She said with a soft, but crafty grin. I glared at her, but still clung to the bag.  
  
"B-But! That's not fair!" I grumbled, my bottom lip jutting out in old habit. She sighed heavily and gave me the about face.  
  
"Whatever. And I quote from whoever made the dumb thing up, 'All's fair in love and war'." She said, walking out into the pouring rain. I stared at her retreating form, watching her clothes instantly mold to the shape of her lean back. She suddenly turned, making me feel vulnerable. "What are you doing?" She asked, frowning. I shrieked and fumbled her bag.  
  
"Wa-Wait! We need an umbrella!" I cried out as I ran to catch up. She stretched her long limbs to the dark sky.  
  
"Screw it."  
  
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Minutes passed as we walked in silence. My dress shirt was now sopping, and I was blushing furiously because my torso was plainly visible. "Why are you worrying about this?" I thought with a frown. I watched the droplets of water run down the black leather of Anna's school satchel, and I smiled.  
  
"Hey, Anna?" I asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
I swallowed hard. "Do you love Yoh-kun?" I asked rather bluntly. I looked over to the girl, whose face was rosy from cold and something else.  
  
"I've told you before, haven't I?" She asked me. I shrugged helplessly. She looked out over the misty horizon with a small smile. "I love him more than anything." She stated, making my heart plummet into my stomach. Of course I knew before... it was a stupid question to ask.  
  
"Ha-Have you told him yet?" I asked, earning a headshake from the itako. "I see..." I murmured, a thoughtful expression on my face. "Well, you really should tell him soon." I said, smiling.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because... even though he may be your fiancé, that doesn't mean that some other girl could just sweep him away. If anything happens to him, then you'll just have to live with the fact that you could have told him so many times before." I said quietly. She looked at me with mild amazement.  
  
"Where'd you learn THAT notion?" She questioned in her firm voice. I could feel my face turn red as I slowed to a halt. She stopped as well, her eyes forcing me to look up with a smile.  
  
"...Myself." I said quietly, my words almost getting lost in the sound of rain. She did look beautiful standing there in her black fuku, her gold hair plastered to the sides of her delicate but hard face. "I-Its happened to me before." I said. I felt foolish looking up at her like a child would to his hero. Pailong was my hero... Anna was my hero too. She was so strong, and she's come such a long way from being just a sadistic shamaness who would torture my best friend just for fun.  
  
But it wasn't just for fun... Both Yoh and I knew that.  
  
"Manta?" She waved a hand in front of my eyes. I turned scarlet and looked to the side. "You look like you want to say something." She stated. "If you want to say something, just say i-" I cut her off suddenly, tilting my head upwards with a bold move that was bound to get me a few broken limbs. I didn't even think I was capable of doing something like that.  
  
I kissed her.  
  
It was a rather chaste kiss, no tongue or open mouth even. It only lasted a second or two before I returned my feet back to the ground (I had to stand on the tips of my toes to reach her). I sighed heavily and shook my head, the water droplets scattering.  
  
"I loved you." I said quietly, not caring if she were going to beat me up. "But being the rational person that I am, I know that it is most definitely not possible to earn your love." I said. No injuries yet. "However," I started, offering my hand, even though I did not look up again, "I was wondering if you wanted to be friends... REAL friends." I said.  
  
A minute passed... feeling like a million years.  
  
Suddenly, a cold wet hand closed around my own, and I had found the strength to look up at her.  
  
She had a strange, alien look on her face, something between a smile and a scowl (only Anna could ever pull THAT one off...). "Alright then." She said quietly. I grinned back at her brightly and shook her hand firmly.  
  
"That's good!" I exclaimed whole-heartedly. I'm sure she's always considered me to be her friend... I'm sure I just needed someone, namely Anna herself, to tell me so.  
  
And so we walked on. The weight of her bag in my arms and my own on my shoulders was forgotten in the sheer happiness I was feeling. The happiness was one that could only come from the fact that you've made a new friend.  
  
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When we got to the Asakura house, we found Yoh, sitting in front of the TV wrapped up in a thick, wooly blanket and sipping tea quietly. He smiled at us earnestly.  
  
"Hi guys! What took you so long to get back?" He asked us. Anna sighed and shook her head in exasperation.  
  
"We were at school, you dolt." She said simply, getting a sheepish grin out of the Shaman King. I laughed merrily and placed Anna's satchel down in front of the doorway.  
  
"I think I better be on my way... Mom wants me to baby-sit Manuko tonight." I said with a shudder. My little sister seemed even brattier than those ghosts of Tamao's. Yoh laughed, only to end it with a loud sneeze.  
  
"We'll see you at school tomorrow, Manta!" He said, waving a hand in goodbye since he couldn't turn around, due to the large blanket he was bundled up in. I looked at Anna, and she returned my stare. 'Tell him soon, ok?' I channeled this thought through my eyes, and she must've understood because she nodded in understanding.  
  
"See you later." She said in her calm demeanor.  
  
"Bye!" Yoh said again, twisting his head around with effort to flash me one of his trademark grins. I smiled back to both of them as I shifted the weight of my school bag. I walked down the front hall, hearing Anna's voice echo quietly through the house as I left.  
  
"Yoh... can I speak with you for a minute?"  
  
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And so I was gone, walking towards my own home with a large, goofy grin on my face.  
  
'Not even that devil of a sister is going to ruin my mood tonight!' I thought, laughing softly.  
  
The rain had stopped halfway through my journey, and by the time I returned home, the sun was peeking through the clouds like one of those biblical paintings with all the angels and happy people in them.  
  
...I was happy too...  
  
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THE END  
  
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Hm... Sorry if they seemed a bit OOC. Its so hard writing this kind of fan fiction, because it's so obvious that Anna would grind Manta to dust if he ever pulled that kind of stunt. They were supposed to be older and more mature in this story though, so I guess it was ok...  
  
Please, send me feedback! Yay! 


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